SOTA c19s02
Text The assumption throughout Appleloosa, when they dragged back the body of Vallation, was that he was the murderer responsible for the disappearances. The fact he was an alien and mechanical Clockwork Pony didn't help much with making the townsfolk feel any pity for him, and they had all been very eager to string him up and hang him. Not at the gallows, no: they didn't want to see his neck broken. They wanted to watch him die slower than that. Princess Luna was able to get the crowd under control... well, with a little help from the large, scary warrior mares who resembled the princesses of this Equestria, of course. Vallation was no threat to anypony in the state he was in: Apple Bloom had removed most of what she'd determined was powering the Clockwork Pony, and he had remained mostly unresponsive to anything and everything they did. He was alive, though, in a sense: like every Clockwork Pony, it seemed that no matter how much of him was synthetic, there were real flesh and organs, too. Most of this seemed to be on the front half of Vallation's body, however: almost all the limbs, middle and rear of the mechanical stallion was nothing but steel and gears and synthetic parts. Dragging the mostly-metal pony back had been a pain, although it had made everyone half-thankful that they hadn't found anything else out at the fortress that had been worth taking with them. He at least hadn't done more than simply stare around at them every now and then, and this behavior had continued even after they'd locked him up in the flimsy town jail, most of the ponies well-aware a cell wouldn't actually be nearly enough to hold him if he wanted to break free. But he hadn't even moved from the floor... Apple Bloom and Meadowlark were both starting to think that he couldn't move at all, and might not even be... all there, assuming he had been to begin with. After all, he had spoken like a machine, not a pony. And he'd only shown one real moment of emotion... even if Meadowlark said when he stared at her, he looked like a pony trapped under a layer of ice. Luna had grumbled that she would be glad to make this metaphor literal and Scrivener had hit her absently, but later on the two had discussed the possibility quietly with Celestia that maybe... there was someone trapped in there. They couldn't do anything here, though: Apple Bloom didn't have the tools or the experience necessary to start fiddling around with a Clockwork Pony. Instead, they would wait and bring him over the Bifrost with them, and see what Cowlick and the Nibelung Artificers could come up with when they got a chance to examine Vallation. They were all growing eager to head back home, but Celestia insisted on staying a few days in Appleloosa. It was quieter here, and she could take the time to think a little on things... which was what she was currently doing as she sat by herself on a gentle slope, gazing down into the immense apple orchard, quietly stroking Ratatoskr's back as the squirrel almost purred contently beside her. Most of the ponies were off celebrating in town, which she was glad for. They deserved it... and it was nice to have a little time just to sit and let her mind wander. When they got home, she knew she was going to have to assemble the Starlit Knights and their friends and family. Almost all of them veterans who deserved a little bit of peace... but she would have to warn them, and worse yet, take their calm away from them and get everyone ready once more for war, because she was all-too-well aware if she didn't... Scrivener and Luna would just go off and try to face this menace alone. Or with just Twilight Sparkle. She smiled faintly, closing her amethyst eyes as she lowered her head silently. She still didn't know how she was going to justify it, though, and she knew she couldn't do more, really, apart from just... asking their friends to help. Because this time wasn't like the times before, as she recalled: Thesis was only interested in Scrivener and Luna, and claimed that once he got them by either friendship or force, he would be done. It made things more complicated, and it made her hurt, because the rational thing to do was to convince Luna and Scrivener to at least hear this creature out, in spite of whatever atrocities he had committed, to try and reach a neutral negotiation... while on the other hoof, every emotion and instinct in her body screamed to hunt Thesis down and rip him limb-from-limb for threatening her family. Celestia sat back a little and sighed softly, reaching up and touching her chest, feeling naked without her armor as her multicolored mane twisted quietly backwards. She reached up and touched the rainbow locks with a faint smile, brushing them back out of her eyes as she thought of how some things never really changed. Sure, she had adopted a few new tricks, learned some self control... but that didn't change who she was inside, who she had always been. Gentle? Speaking softly didn't make you gentle. Compassionate? Showing mercy was not the same as showing compassion, not by a long shot... not when mercy could make someone owe you a favor, or make you appear generous and benevolent to an entire nation. Strong? Oh yes, she was strong... just not in the ways that most ponies thought. Honest? She was trying to be... but it was hard, and telling the truth now didn't mean she was eager to begin revealing the lies in her past. Protective? To extremes, but only of a very limited sample of ponies, willing as she was to throw herself into danger for Equestria or any innocent life. If the choice came between a stranger, or even an entire nation, and the ponies she truly cared about... Her rainbow locks twisted backwards, lifted a little... then settled as her mind settled, reaching up to silently touch the scarf she'd taken to wearing. She liked it, a gorgeous gift from Rarity, but she thought the inspiration for it had come from someone else. The ivory mare smiled faintly, then she shook her head slowly before cocking her head with interest and glancing to the side, and a smile spread over her face at the happy interruption she saw coming towards her. “Antares.” “Hi, Aunt Tia. You looked like... well. I thought you could use a bit of company.” Antares said gently, and the ivory mare nodded after a moment. The two studied each other for a few moments, and then the young stallion cleared his throat and reached up to rub at the scars on his chest compulsively. It made Celestia smile again: not at the wounds he bore, but because he didn't seem to recognize it was a self-conscious gesture he'd inherited from his father. Scrivener didn't rub at his chest, no... but every time he was feeling anxious about something, he always touched the scar around his eye. There was silence for a few moments, and then Antares simply sat down on the other side of her squirrel, and the two ponies looked off into the orchards together before the mare asked softly: “Why aren't you out celebrating with the others? I thought you and Meadowlark would be happy to have this opportunity to spend a little time together like this.” “We are, and well, we did, but... they've been partying for almost two full days now, ever since we got back.” Antares laughed a little, smiling over at Celestia. “That seems like kind of a long time for me and Meadowlark.” “It seems all too short to me.” Celestia said softly, and Antares gazed at her warmly as the ivory mare continued, as a smile spread over her face: “In the old days, celebrations could last a week, with ease... any time of happiness was stretched out as long as possible, because... well, happiness wasn't in such easy supply back then. Or rather, that's what I tell myself, but...” Celestia halted, looking down thoughtfully and murmuring: “Ponies always seem to remember the very best and the very worst, forgetting that almost all of us... we're somewhere in the middle. Forgetting that some of the luxuries we take for granted today, see as 'necessary' in our lives, they didn't even exist back then... and ponies were just as happy, went on just as well without them. Nowadays, there's so much... structure, and order, and control. And yes, I know I'm responsible in large part for that in our home Equestria, but it seems all my happiest memories... they all have a little bit of chaos in them.” The ivory mare looked down with a soft smile at Ratatoskr, nodding once to herself, and then she drew her eyes back up to Antares and asked: “So how are you and Meadowlark doing, Antares? I don't mean to pry, but... I am curious, of course. And she's very, very fond of you.” “Yeah, and I'm... really fond of her.” Antares hesitated, then looked down for a moment, and Celestia's amethyst eyes sharpened a little as she studied him. Yes, this had something to do with why he had come to find her in the first place. “It's just that... I mean, I don't... want to... impose or anything, and I know you're busy...” “I'm here to help, however I can. You're my nephew, and like a son to me.” Celestia said softly, and Antares glanced up with a faint blush as the ivory mare smiled softly. “And you're also like an apprentice, in some ways, too. If I want to honor those things, I have to be here to teach and help you in any and every way that I can.” Antares nodded awkwardly, and then he looked down as he rubbed a hoof slowly through the grass in front of him, lowering his head and mumbling finally: “I guess... I'm just... thinking about feelings and stuff, you know? About how things like that can affect us, I guess you could say. It's... because of Meadowlark, sort of.” Celestia tilted her head with interest, and the stallion looked up at her with a faint smile. “I just... I tried to sidestep my duties in the mission for Meadowlark. I know we didn't find anything and I know the fortress really was abandoned, like we thought, but... I let myself get distracted, and I kept thinking about her and worrying for her, and... I know that she can handle herself, even if she is quiet and seems so fragile sometimes. She's not, she... she's a strong mare. But all the same...” “You care about her, Antares. Of course you're going to want to be with her, and protect her if at all possible.” Celestia replied quietly, smiling faintly and shaking her head slowly before she continued softly: “And you seem to be forgetting that you mastered yourself and helped us search the fortress without complaint.” “Yeah, but... it made me think, if Meadowlark was in danger, and I had the choice between going to her or completing the mission, I'd probably go to her. And I don't know who I'd choose between her and my friends and family... it scares me a little, Aunt Tia.” Antares glanced over at ivory mare with a faint smile. “I spent my entire life being raised with honor and integrity, to know my role and to do my best to help and protect the innocent. What does it mean that I no longer know if I could... I could stand to see her hurt, even if it put others in danger?” Celestia only smiled over at the young stallion, then she gazed up towards the sky and said softly: “It means you love her, Antares Mīrus, and... that's all. It means in a dangerous situation, you'll protect the ponies you care about first, and cold as it may sound, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I always put my family and my own friends first, too.” Celestia stopped, then continued in a quieter voice, when Antares looked at her almost uncomfortably: “But I think that... if you had to make the impossible choice, between saving her or saving the lives of innocents, saving your home, your country, your world... unlike me, you could still make that decision. You've been through experiences that have taught you what it's like to lose... someone so incredibly important, and you've survived and come out the other side a stronger, better pony for it. I know that pain is part of the reason you feel compelled now to do anything to protect your marefriend... but I know at the same time, I think you're beginning to understand that if you truly care about someone, you have to honor their wishes. Even when...” She quieted, and the two sat silently for a few moments before Antares stated more than questioned: “Mom said something before that wasn't like her. It's because of the soul-link, isn't it, and because of... of what's happening to Dad.” “I think so, yes.” Celestia answered quietly, knowing that Antares deserved the truth even with how worried he looked, and then she added softly: “I think it's because Valthrudnir has planted himself so deeply in Scrivener's mind. Scrivener may have naturally absorbed some of his knowledge, and that was passed on to Luna.” “So she used that weird chess metaphor, even though Mom knows nothing about chess.” Antares glanced up and smiled a little, saying finally: “It's funny to... be able to recognize stuff like that. The little details, even though... the big picture still eludes me now and then.” “No one's perfect. No pony, no god, and nothing in between.” Celestia closed her eyes and nodded once before she turned her eyes back towards Antares, the two studying each other before she prodded gently: “Go ahead.” Antares blushed and looked awkwardly away, staying silent for a moment longer all the same as he stared out over the apple orchard, and then he finally asked: “What are we going to do? The Replicants are powerful... and there's the issue of Valthrudnir, and... so many other problems all cropping up at once. I'm worried, Aunt Tia. I don't know if I'm strong enough to help...” “You drove off a Replicant by yourself, Antares, while your parents had trouble just escaping one between the three of them.” Celestia smiled over at the young stallion, shaking her head slowly. “Don't worry about that. You're strong, and more importantly, you're intelligent and skilled. You can be relied on in a battle... yes, I mean that, even though you told me about what happened with Kismet already. But I know you won't make that mistake again, and you were there when it was necessary.” She stopped, then added softly: “Even with all the years that have passed and the battle you've seen, you're still pure in many senses... you still have this innocence about you, this powerful sense of right and wrong that... does make you seem a little naïve and anxious at times, yes...” Celestia smiled slightly over at him, as the young stallion cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away with an embarrassed smile of his own. “But it's a good thing. I'd rather you come to me questioning your moral decisions than come to me, wanting to learn new ways to hurt other people.” “You teach me to deal with both.” Antares replied before he could stop himself, and Celestia laughed and shook her head slowly, gazing over at him with warm amusement. “I suppose I do.” she said softly, then she looked out over the apple orchard, the two remaining quiet for a moment before Celestia asked curiously: “Have you decided whether or not you're going to start mastering a weapon yet?” “I just can't find anything that suits me.” Antares said honestly after a moment, shaking his head and smiling lamely over at Celestia, then he shrugged a little. “When I horn foil, it... it all feels so natural to me. But when I use a sword, well... you saw what happened last time you were trying to teach me, I cut my own face open and you had to stop me from bleeding to death. And spears were just as bad, and well... I don't even want to pick up a hammer or anything.” “Did we ever try and teach you shield combat?” Celestia asked after a moment, and Antares tilted his head with interest, making the ivory mare smile slightly. “I didn't think so. What about crosshatch blades?” “No, no, Horses of Heaven no. I still don't understand how Avalon can be so amazing with them, I cut myself just trying to put them on.” Antares laughed and shook his head. “Which is funny, because I know I'm pretty fast on my hooves. But what about shield fighting? Don't I need to pair it with something else?” “Sleipnir never did. And no, not simply because of how physically strong he is, either.” Celestia smiled slightly, then she stood up and strode calmly down to the bottom of the slope, and Antares stumbled to his hooves to follow her curiously down into the dirt road, the mare glancing back and forth before nodding once as she turned to face him. “Let's do a short demonstration. I don't have the same skills as Sleipnir, but I think that I can still remember enough to give you a good example.” The mare closed her eyes, her horn glowing for a moment before she flicked it gently upwards, and a circle of shimmering light formed before it solidified into a buckler of golden metal that floated silently in front of the mare. Celestia reached a hoof forwards, slipping this carefully on as Antares said softly: “It really amazes me how you can do that, Aunt Tia. And Mom... Twilight, I mean, can even create sprites now, and Mom can raise the dead... and I can... well. I can now levitate stuff without flinging it into the air.” Celestia laughed and shook her head slowly, smiling warmly down at her nephew. “Your talents aren't in magic, and that's perfectly okay, Antares. The magic you can use is not to be underestimated, and you possess many admirable skills in other areas. Now, I want you to attack me. I'll defend and respond each time with the shield.” “Just please don't hurt me too much, okay?” Antares smiled again, and Celestia nodded with a quiet laugh before the stallion dropped to a ready position, and Celestia slid back to a more defensive pose, smiling in return before the young stallion leapt forwards in a straight rush, swinging his horn in. Celestia easily blocked with the shield, halting his slash before quickly drawing her shield back: only an inch or so, but when she swung it back forwards to collide with his head, it was more than enough to knock Antares staggering back a step out of surprise more than pain. But he caught himself smoothly and this time sidestepped before lunging in at the unguarded side of the mare, hooking in a punch- Celestia tilted the shield sideways as she swung in to counterattack, smashing the round edge into his other shoulder and knocking him sprawling. He cursed in pain as Celestia used the momentum from her own attack to turn her body to get her shielded side between them again as Antares crawled up to his hooves, before his eyes widened when Celestia stepped suddenly forwards, smashing the shield once into his chest to knock him off balance. He grunted, staggering but quickly swinging a hoof up: Celestia managed to block it with the buckler, however, and then she stepped smoothly towards him, looming over him and applying sudden pressure back against him, leaning into the attack, and Antares' eyes widened in surprise as he automatically braced himself to keep from falling over. His entire frame shuddered as she pinned him with the shield, forcing him to push back against her as hard as possible as it felt like his bones were bending and he was being crushed, gritting his teeth with a curse of surprise. And then Celestia suddenly hauled upwards with the buckler, and Antares was knocked staggering, guard completely broken before she stepped forwards and bashed him fiercely backwards, almost knocking him sprawling with a yelp. He stumbled comically until he fell heavily on his rear, blinking dumbly across at the mare before Celestia snapped her foreleg upwards as her horn glowed, and the stallion's head shrank between his shoulders as he ducked with a yelp, the buckler shooting just over him. “Aunt Tia! Come on!” Antares glared up at her, and then he blinked as Celestia only winked, the stallion realizing a moment too late that her horn was still glowing before the shield shot back through the air and just clipped his horn on its return flight, knocking him flat on his face. The buckler twisted around Celestia as the mare laughed and shook her head slowly, and then the shield vanished into motes of light as Antares mumbled a little from where he now lay on his face. Then he finally sighed a little and glanced up, saying wryly: “So that wasn't hurting me too much?” “You know I could have done much worse, Antares.” Celestia replied kindly, and then she offered a hoof to him, and the stallion smiled as he reached up to take it and let her help him up to his hooves, shaking himself out briskly as the mare added in a softer voice: “Thank you for indulging me a little, Antares, I think I needed that to help clear my head.” The stallion only smiled a little up at her and shrugged after a moment, and the two studied each other before the glossy-black unicorn rubbed a little at his face, saying finally: “And apparently Sleipnir is the one who's good, and this is just... what you remember?” The ivory mare nodded in response, laughing quietly. “Yes, but Sleipnir also almost never uses his shield, as you may have noticed. He doesn't like bringing weapons into combat and prefers to rely on his own strength as much as possible... Luna and I usually had to do a lot of convincing in order to get him to use his shield, unless we were going into battle against Tyrant Wyrms.” Antares nodded slowly, then Celestia suggested: “You should ask him about it, though, and see if he'd be willing to teach you. I think Sleipnir trusts you more than enough to share any secret with you, Antares... he's very fond of you.” The stallion smiled at this, bowing his head respectfully to Celestia, and the ivory mare bowed her own back before Antares suddenly looked up and said impulsively: “Aunt Tia... don't take this the wrong way, but... you really need to talk to Discombobulation. He misses you, and you miss him, and you two are so sad when you're together these days but I can see you both really want to be happy, so... why... why don't you just... talk to each other?” “I think I hurt him, Antares. I think I hurt him and pushed him away, and it has something to do with... this.” Celestia replied quietly, reaching up and gently touching the scars on the stallion's chest, and Antares blushed a bit as he looked up at her awkwardly, but didn't look away. She appreciated his concern, he could feel that... even if she was clearly a little surprised by his forwardness, too. “But he won't talk about it. I think because he doesn't want to hurt me or bring up what happened... something that has to do with... mistakes we all made.” Antares nodded slowly, looking down as he reached up and touched his own scars, then Celestia smiled and said softly: “It's very sweet of you to care so much, Antares, but I'll be fine. Bob and I will figure things out, one way or another. We had a wonderful time together and we're still very good friends, after all...” She smiled, glancing down as there was a chattering, and a moment later Ratatoskr leapt onto her leg and scurried up to her shoulder, the mare gazing softly at the squirrel. Antares looked up with his own small smile, and then Celestia shook her head and said finally: “Come on, let's go into town, and join the celebrations. Perhaps we've both spent more than enough time sitting out here, thinking too much about what's not even certain yet, instead of enjoying our accomplishments and the time we have with our friends.” Antares Mīrus nodded firmly in response to his aunt, and the two ponies fell into step side-by-side as they began to stride away from the orchard: very different ponies from very different eras, but all the same, close family and confident friends. Top ↑